Beneath the Surface: Secrets of an Obsessed Heart-Chapter 162 - 161

“No.” Raiden answered, pecking him on the lips. “That’s your reward. I won’t put it back until tomorrow. Though...” He smirked, his eyes shining with mischief as his voice lowered to a sexy whisper. “You’ll have to try hard not to cum unless I say so.”

Hiro blushed then pouted slightly. It didn’t really sound like a reward...

Still, he was glad to not have it on.

After tidying up and straightening their clothes, Raiden led the way back to the party with Hiro leaning against him, their arms looped tightly. All thoughts about his father’s abuse had been swept to the back of his mind, as if having Hiro beside him kept them at bay.

And even when his father sighted him from across the room, his smile never faltered. Instead, he even gave a polite nod and watched in satisfaction as his father’s face twisted in disgust. Clearly, his father was not happy to see him there.

His stepmother noticed the exchange and her painted smile went even wider. “Raiden, my dear,” she called out sweetly, approaching with his father in tow.

Raiden scoffed under his breath. The woman had always been good at pretending. Her voice was laced with false affection and it made him just want to seal her mouth shut. He wondered how his father could even tolerate such a witch.

He held Hiro closer to his side, and began to walk forward. He knew he could not avoid meeting his father so it was better to just get it over with.

Hiro glanced up at him, noticing the subtle tension in his jaw and the slight stiffness in his shoulders. Wordlessly, he rubbed Raiden’s arm in small, soothing circles—offering his silent support. Although he knew he couldn’t do much, He wasn’t going to let that evil stepmother or anyone bully his Raiden anymore.

They met halfway across the room, the four of them forming a strained tableau in the middle of the polished marble floor.

Raiden’s stepmother beamed with forced cheerfulness, clasping her hands in front of her like a perfect hostess. Meanwhile, Raiden and his father stared at one another like two statues of ice.

Raiden’s father gazed at Raiden with pure disgust. Just like a man looking at a filthy stray dog while Raiden stared back with no emotion. Although, anger was already beginning to churn within his heart. No matter how hard he tried to swallow it down, he couldn’t for he still hated this man. And it hurt to see that even after all these years, his father still looked at him like he did when he was a child.

As if he was some horrid disgusting creature that took away the life of his beloved first wife.

What a hypocrite. The abusive man claimed to love his first wife so much that he hated his son with passion and blamed the son for the death of the wife. But not long after, he married again and went on to have two more kids.

Hiro stood silently, nervous under the weight of their presence. Both Raiden and his father looked really scary while staring at each other like that. He didn’t understand how a father could hate his own son so much. He could remember the way his dad took care of him, cherished and pampered him. Ever since he was born, he didn’t have to lift a single finger to do anything. His parents made sure he got everything he wanted and when they weren’t around, Sora and Saika treated him like he was the most precious thing on earth.

Now looking at Raiden’s relationship with his father and stepmother, Hiro realised he was really really lucky.

Eventually, Raiden’s father broke the silence. His dark eyes flicked over Hiro briefly, his lips pressing into a thin line, clearly displeased, before settling back on Raiden. His voice was dry, almost uninterested.

“I didn’t know you were coming.”

The stepmother gave a light laugh, her fingers resting on her husband’s arm as though to calm him.

“I was the one who invited him,” she said brightly. “You know... since Riku and Aoi couldn’t make it today.” She gave Raiden a sugary smile. “So he came in their stead. Isn’t he a good son?”

Although she was all smiles, she hated the fact that Raiden was present. If it weren’t for her stupid sons, she would have never pushed herself to call Raiden.

She had called her sons countless times to remind them of the anniversary. She also sent tons of messages but they never replied a single one nor did they return her calls.

She gritted her teeth, thinking of the news she saw in the afternoon. Riku was yet again seen with an older married woman in a hotel and she was sure Aoi was off somewhere doing drugs with his heinous friends. She was quite frustrated with the way her sons turned out and the kind of lives they chose to live. Why didn’t Raiden turn out that way? He was the one who grew up without a mother.

Raiden’s father scoffed, breaking her thoughts. “A good son, indeed.”

His gaze flicked once more toward Hiro, and then he turned to Raiden with a commanding tone. “Come with me.”

He didn’t wait for a response. He just pivoted sharply and started up the stairs.

The stepmother watched him go, then looked back at Raiden with her still-glued-on smile. “Just do as he says, dear,” she said smoothly. “You know our arrangement is still in place.”

“It better.” Raiden sneered and began to follow together with Hiro but his father turned back sharply, his frown deepening.

“Lose the kid.”

“No.” Raiden replied immediately.

His father turned slowly, disbelief in his eyes. “What?”

“I said no,” Raiden repeated, staring straight at his father. “Hiro is my partner. Wherever I go, he goes.”

The older man’s jaw clenched as he glared at Raiden. What annoyed and unsettled him most were Raiden’s eyes. When Raiden was young, those eyes used to be filled with terror and desperation—always pleading, always searching for approval that never came. They were the eyes of a broken child who wanted love but braced for pain.

But now... now they were dead cold and sharp. They were like the eyes of a predator, waiting patiently, calculating, daring him to try something and for a moment, it was just a flicker, but his heart trembled with fear.

Realising this, he quickly hid it behind a sneer then glared at Hiro as if he were vermin. He took a single step forward and growled, “Scram.”

Hiro flinched but instead of backing away, he held on to Raiden even tighter, fingers clutching the fabric of his suit jacket, refusing to budge. He was scared of course. Raiden’s father was really scary but he couldn’t just flee and leave Raiden alone. His father looked like he wanted to beat the living shit out of them both.

The sourc𝗲 of this content is free(w)𝒆bnov(𝒆)l